Patience or Long Suffering or Just Taxes

I’m tired and have had some of the wind blown out of my sails today. We received notice that all the child tax benefit money that we received for 2006 (and then some) had to be returned to the government. I had been expecting something because we had sent in an adjustment stating that the expense money we had received in Niger was our world income. We were informed afterward that this was money to cover expenses and therefore not income, but that was after the papers had gone to the government and I’m just too tired to argue with the tax man, so I’ll probably just pay it. I am saying to myself that it is only money, but it just hurts to lose so much!
This past weekend we discovered that we created a monster! We had introduced the boys to Calvin and Hobbes comic books this past fall not really thinking about the possible repercussions. On Sunday while we were trying to take family pictures with the Wright clan at our new niece’s baby dedication, Ben decided to pull a “Calvin” and every time the photographer tried to take a picture he made a face. (Sorry this picture is a bit too small to see--but maybe that is a good thing!)

Please pray for Cole this week he has been really acting up lately and we aren't sure that we are getting to the source of the problem. You can pray for Dave and I too as we deal with his meltdowns it can really drain the patience. Thanks to all we have been praying about the packing and finishing the renovations, it feels like we have made some headway this week, but there is still a long way to go! --This is Dave's "quick" installation of new kitchen taps to stop the leaking.

A Taste of History

This past weekend we were blessed to be able to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Wright (and if you have been waiting for this –it is their fault that it is late or at least that is my excuse).They came from New Brunswick in time to join us for a shower for baby Susannah last Thursday and will be around for a little while anyway.

We had a great visit at Cole Lake Free Methodist Church last Sunday and learned so much about how the Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of people there. I was additionally blessed to meet the Silvers who I had last met in Burundi when I was eleven. (It was during my visit there that I became interested in missions work.) We also learned through Mrs. Freeman, our hostess that the Women’s Christian Temperance Union is still alive and active in Canada and they have expanded their focus to include abstinence from illegal drugs. She even gave the boys water bottles that the WCTU had made up.

On Victoria Day we decided to take a mini holiday. So in the morning we went to Fort George in nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake. We had been reading a book at night with the boys about the main figures involved in the war of 1812 to give them a bit of our local history and they really enjoyed recognizing a number of the places. So, we took the opportunity to go and see where some of the action took place. I think Ben enjoyed the dress up part the best. Then after a McD’s lunch (one of those things we have to stock up on before we go back to Niger) we went swimming at the YMCA with our cousins.

We are home this weekend for the baby dedication of Dave’s niece, but we would really appreciate your prayers for our preparations as we begin the packing process. I could really use a dose of motivation, the job just seems so big and daunting and there are so many decisions to make in the process. Please pray that we make wise choices. Dave could also use prayer. He has two papers due for his course at McMaster, but he is trying to balance writing and visiting with his family while he has the opportunity—needless to say the papers haven’t really gotten very far!

Immunization Day

This is me…really it is! Yes, I am feeling just about as dead as I look here.

Today was “I” day in our house, the disastrous day when we all headed in for our latest round of immunizations. The boys had to have two and Dave and I had to have one. However there was no consoling the boys, because they know what immunizations are all about (they had to have 12 the last time that we went to Niger). It didn’t matter to them that they only had to have two of them or that these are designed to keep them alive! [I know that sounds overly dramatic but the extra one that they had was for Typhoid Fever a disease that killed a little boy from Cole’s class in Niger shortly after we returned to Canada last June.] They really didn’t care (at least at that moment). They knew that pain was coming and they were going to make as many people feel it with them as they could. I got to sit in the lobby and apologize to horrified passers by while Dave sat in the chair with each of them shrieking in turn. Then after all the fireworks were done, I got to have my own dose of fun. (My arm is still aching). Dave was talking to his brother Jim later in the day and his response was, “you know I love you man, but I’m NEVER coming to see you in Africa!”

It is amazing how we can know that something is good for us and that it is really “short term pain for long term gain” … yet we will still fight it and frequently that fight just makes it worse! There is many any object lesson here, but I’ll let you draw your own conclusions....

By the way this picture of the boys is the calm before the storm.

We had an incredibly busy but really good mother’s day weekend. It started with a presentation Friday night in Yarker were we got to meet both Dan Sheffield’s parents and Raymond Hartman’s parents among others. We were on to the regional gathering at Smith’s Falls where we meet with many new and old friends. Then we were on to Courtice where we were warmly welcomed and had a lot of fun (and hopefully we ministered to those who gathered to celebrate Mother’s Day). Thanks so much for all of the amazing hospitality we were truly blessed!

I’m sorry to say that I won’t be at Wesley Chapel on Saturday because the Ladies Tea was cancelled, but we were invited to visit Cole Lake on Sunday and are looking forward to that (especially Cole :) ).

AAUGH!

Have you every tried to renovate your home and keep it clean enough to have real estate agents show it at a moments notice? Factor into that a six year old that doesn't think that he is playing unless the floor of his room is covered with toys and a husband that is trying hard to do a night course (that runs every night for two weeks straight) and you have some idea of how things are going in my house hold. Cole also had track and field this week to add to our running around. He didn't do very well, but he seemed to have fun and at least he tried.
Last night was a killer, when I was trying to get the kids ready for bed I went into Ben's room to help him get the room cleaned up and noticed some art work on the wall that hadn't been there before. I asked Ben how it had got there and he told me that he had glued them to the wall! (He had also forgot something on one of the pictures and had to add some black marker which also found its way to the wall). Needless to say, my voice got a little loud and Ben cried when I made him try to pull the pictures off the wall because he had put so much work into them -----they were pretty good. Luckily, he had used glue stick and it hadn’t completely dried, so after some scrubbing and a lecture about how to get your pictures hung on the wall we were back in shape. Well, almost— because after that we went to brush our teeth in the bathroom and Cole decided to hang on the new towel bar which proceeded to rip off the anchor. What a night.

We were able to be a part of our home regional gathering on Saturday which was really nice to be able to connect with a number of our supporting churches. It is unfortunate that no one from Caistor could make it. Then we were off to New Hope in New Market last Sunday. It was really great to reconnect with friends from Pine Orchard camp and to meet some new people. We took the camera but forgot to use it. Sorry! Hopefully we will do better this weekend when we get to do a triple header: Yarker on Friday, Smiths Falls on Saturday and Trull’s Road on Sunday! In case I don’t see you personally, Happy Mother’s Day one and all!

Welcome Suzannah

To quote a friend "Thanks God, thanks so much!"

I have so much to be thankful for. I really appreciate all of you that have been praying for me as I prepared and presented at Springarama. I still don't think that I am the public speaker in the family (Dave does a much better job), but I really sensed God's presence while I was there. They even sang happy birthday to me. Thanks!

We were truly blessed while we were visiting Harrowsmith the week before and enjoyed the hospitality of the Adam's family while we were there.

We are also grateful for the safe arrival of the newest member of our family. We have a new niece Suzannah Evangeline Faith! So here are the pictures for Grandma and Grandpa! I hope to enjoy my new niece, but I confessed that I am glad I don't have to go through the sleepless nights again.

We look forward to catching up with many friends this weekend at the regional gathering in Brantford and at New Hope FMC in New Market.